If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Hybrid View

Houston we have a problem!

I recieved a 3# package of russian bees with a mated queen, on monday. I installed them with the help of an experienced beekeeper, according the guidelines offered by the company. I did my first hive inspection today, again with help from my experienced friend. I watched a video on here yesterday that compared a queenless hive with a normal hive. I had a sneaking suspicion that mine could be queenless yesterday afternoon, because they had suddenly become agitated...lots of bees flying around the hive and they were louder than I'd remembered from earlier days. i put the thought aside as this is my very first attempt at beekeeping and I figured I was just experiencing some newbie worries. Today, we opened the hive and they had drawn comb on a few frames, as well as started storing some nectar and pollen. I started to worry when we got to the middle of the 8 frame hive because, as far as I could tell, there were no eggs to be seen anywhere. To make a long story short, after searching each frame twice looking for my marked queen, my friend finally noticed a small cluster of bees on the bottom of the hive. Sure enough, there was my queen, dead as a hammer. I have learned over my years dealing with horses, to veiw problems as opportunities and I guess that's how I see this unfortunate setback. Today, the hive acted much more calm and they appeared to be doing what they could while waiting for the queen. Lots of dandelions out and saw lots of workers hauling pollen in. I have no eggs and no larvae, so how should I proceed? Any help would be appreciated.

Re: Houston we have a problem!

Originally Posted by schmism

overnight a queen.

or ask the experienced beek for a frame of brood with newly layed eggs. the package can then raise a new one.

I will call the company tomorrow morning and see if I can get a new queen soon. My second thought was the frame of brood with new eggs. My buddy said he could do that, but it would set me back another month to get the queen hatched and mated. What are the odds that they will reject another queen?

Re: Houston we have a problem!

Do them both. New queen and a frame with open brood. A 3# pkg with un known ages of bees after a month couldn't be much. Plus, the quality of a queen from them would be poor IMHO. They will make a queen but IME, they supercede her sooner than later. Then you are back almost where you started. Lot of discussion on queen release is available on this forum. Search a decide. My 2cnts is to let the bees release the queen and leave them alone for two weeks min.
Rick

Re: Houston we have a problem!

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

I will call the company tomorrow morning and see if I can get a new queen soon. My second thought was the frame of brood with new eggs. My buddy said he could do that, but it would set me back another month to get the queen hatched and mated.

If you got a package and a dead queen what do you have to lose?

So you watched the video and they were agitated now they are calm and still queenless. That's why I say the video doesn't tell you much because what you see from the outside changes. Go with schmism's suggestion, a frame of brood and see what you can get from the supplier on a queen.

Re: Houston we have a problem!

The best way is to get a new queen to head this hive. It takes almost one month for the new queen to lay and
3 weeks or so for the nurse bees to emerge. This is almost 2 months combine. If the majority of the older worker
bees die off in 45 days or so then you don't have much workers left. But if you get a new laying queen then the
chance of survival is much greater, right.